Musicians and composers began experimenting with electronic instruments, such as the theremin (first electric instrument ever played without physical contact) and Ondes Martenot (created by Maurice Martenot). Tape recorders and electrical sound speed-adjusting technology gave rise to musique concrete composition techniques.
Techno-house evolved as an international genre that combined driving bass lines and syncopated percussion with mesmeric synth melodies for an irresistible urge to dance, drawing crowds worldwide to its sounds. Artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Vangelis pioneered electronic music production during this era.
Origins
Electronic music doesn’t start and end with synthesizers alone; its origins go further back than this. Composers used World War II-era technology to record instruments and voices at different speeds to produce layers of sound which would later be employed by pioneers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen in his works.
In the 1950s, computer technology revolutionised electronic music production. Musician Lejaren Hiller composed his groundbreaking Illiac Suite for string quartet with algorithmic composition to produce an entirely novel form of music. By 1960s Moog synthesizers had revolutionized how composers produced music as they allowed full control over note length, volume and tone of any note being played; leading to progressive rock, space age pop and experimental avant-garde genres being born out.
Electronic music had an enormous influence on popular culture during the 1970s. Genres such as krautrock, disco and new wave became increasingly prevalent while polyphonic synthesizers and drum machines became common. Kraftwerk were pioneers of synthpop with their distinctive style that combined rock music with synthetic sounds.
Today there are more ways than ever before to produce electronic music than ever before, yet its essence remains unchanged. From upbeat electro house and deep dubstep to fitness centers and fields all around the globe; electronic music’s sound can be heard everywhere! From underground warehouses and clubs to fitness centers and fields.
But electronic dance music truly gained widespread acceptance during the 1980s. DJs such as Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May popularized a unique style of electronic music that blended funk with techno. Tempos were fast; bass lines deep; synthesizers frequently analog rather than digital; it was during this era that Detroit techno pioneers Belleville Three began making an impressionful mark.
Techniques
Electronic music is created through an eclectic array of techniques and instruments, from computers and laptops to traditional instruments modified with sound-producing hardware like synthesizers; some electronic musicians even combine both to produce hybrid styles like new age.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, electronic musical instruments first came into existence. These included electrical organs such as Telharmonium (1896), electromechanical devices like Leon Theremin’s Theremin (invented 1920) and Maurice Martenot’s Ondes Martenot (1928). Other early electronic inventions included phonograph (also referred to as gramophone), which allowed recordings to be heard over longer distances – an invention made popular during 1925 with its invention allowing recordings to be heard across long distances phonograph (also referred to as gramophone). Finally, early electronic inventions included the phonograph (also gramophone) which first saw widespread usage after its invention in 1925 allowing recordings over long distances allowing recordings made in 1925 which allowed recordings made on long distance records to be heard over long distances allowing recordings made at that time for longer distance listening pleasure!
Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Schaeffer pioneered electronic sound manipulation during the 1940s. Soon thereafter, other musicians soon joined them in exploring different forms of electronic music, giving rise to musique concrete: composers using found sounds such as found timbres or scales instead of conventional notes and chords for musical expression.
By the 1970s, rock and pop was beginning to incorporate electronic technology into its production. Gary Numan famously did just this when recording a punk guitar album but decided he liked what his Moog synth could do instead, abandoning his plan of using guitars altogether and opting instead for using electronic bands like Ultravox, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Depeche Mode as pioneers of this style of music production.
Throughout the 1980s, new electronic music styles blossomed, such as industrial, EBM and techno. Additionally, other genres that utilized an abundance of electronic elements, like ambient and space music also saw tremendous growth during this era.
By the end of the decade, analogue synthesizers had been replaced by digital models and samplers became more affordable for everyday musicians, leading to an array of new styles and bands including The Killers, Future Islands, Chvrches, Boards of Canada as well as Jon Hopkins, LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk who all started as electronic producers before transitioning into more mainstream roles – though many still nod to their electronic roots with Goldfrapp and Will Gregory returning the “analog” element while Ulrich Schnauss and William Orbit revealing more experimental sides to their work.
Instruments
Electronic music has long been associated with synthesizers, yet its history dates back much further than this. The first electronic musical instruments were developed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries – such as theremin which allowed users to manipulate electromagnetic fields to produce sounds; also Telharmonium which used electromechanical keyboards invented in 1896 and Hammond organ which utilized electro-mechanical keyboards were among these early electronic instruments.
The 1940s witnessed the development of magnetic audio tape, which allowed musicians to record sounds and manipulate them, leading to musique concrete as a technique and composers such as Edgard Varese creating pieces such as his Poeme Electronique for the 1958 World Fair in Brussels.
Roland and other companies began developing electronic music synthesizers during the 1960s, which would later evolve into computer-based digital synthesizers. This gave rise to synth pop, an emerging subgenre popularised by bands such as Ultravox, Depeche Mode and New Order.
One key moment in the history of electronic music was the rise of dance music during the 1980s, which was heavily influenced by techno, an experimental form of dance music which originated in America during the 1970s and incorporated many elements of electronica into its composition. Dance music quickly became a global phenomenon played in clubs, fitness centers, warehouses, parks – often illegally!
In the 1990s, synthesizers continued their rise in popularity among popular bands like Britney Spears and Madonna who used them to craft their unique sounds. Even heavy metal rock groups that traditionally shied away from using synths began using them in their albums for an updated sound. Gary Numan is considered by many as having been responsible for propelling synths onto the music map with one notable instance where he went into a studio intending to record a punk guitar album, yet ended up recording everything on an Moog synth instead! This momentous moment marked one of many significant moments in history when Numan entered into a studio intended to record his next punk guitar album but instead recorded all his album on an Moog synth!
Genres
Electronic music encompasses a diverse selection of genres that span classical to punk. Popular styles today include techno, house, drum and bass and jungle; however there are numerous subgenres within this expansive scene – dub music being another influential sub-genre that makes up this vast music landscape.
In the 1960s and 70s, composers began experimenting with electronic instruments. Artists such as The Beatles and Kraftwerk helped popularize this trend among a wider audience. These musicians used synthesizers – such as Robert Moog’s first compact Moog synth – and electric drum machines to craft an entirely new form of music.
These pioneers of electronic music created new genres such as krautrock, disco and synthpop. Their pioneering efforts influenced an entire generation of musicians who would later incorporate synthesizers and electric drum machines into their music – such as Gary Numan. He famously entered a studio to record punk guitar album but noticed an already switched on Moog before pressing one note – creating synth pop!
DJs took control of dance floors during the 1980s, introducing an assortment of electronic music genres. By the 1990s, trance, hardcore techno, breakbeat and UK garage became extremely popular; dubstep also gained momentum due to its 140bpm tempo and aggressive sound.
The early 2000s witnessed the birth of several electronic music genres, such as trip hop, electro house, deep house and edm. More recently, neurofunk has gained momentum; this subgenre features aggressive drumming, dark vocals and sci-fi sound design elements.
Other genres include ambient, which uses drones and atmospheric sounds to create an aural canvas; techno, featuring fast-paced beats with syncopated rhythms; dubstep is more aggressive form of electronic music; liquid funk infuses soulful melodies into atmospheric textures for an emotive experience; while hardcore dnb offers intense sounds with its distorted kick drums and bassline that can reach industrial levels of distortion.